The Bible gives us a glorious vision of God’s sovereignty in saving sinners. “Calvinism” is a kind of nickname for this Christian body of doctrine on salvation that so appropriately humbles humanity and so magnificently exalts divine grace.

In a new eight-hour course on Calvinism, or “the doctrines of grace,” John Piper walks through the historical “five points,” digging into text after text of Scripture and responding to many of the most common questions.

You have three priorities: teach, teach, and teach. Evangelical churches are weaker than we realize because we don’t teach the confessions and doctrine. Set new standards in teaching. Understand the word catechesis, and practice that art.

Posted in Advice, Quotes ]]>https://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/j-i-packers-advice-to-new-pastors/feed/0Brenton8 Reasons for Biblical Preachinghttps://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/8-reasons-for-biblical-preaching/
https://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/8-reasons-for-biblical-preaching/#commentsTue, 26 Jan 2010 16:14:58 +0000http://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/?p=352Continue reading →]]>In the second of three articles in his series An Appeal to All Pastors: Why and How Should We Preach, Sam Storms gives us eight reasons why pastors should be committed to biblical preaching.

We must preach because of the power of the Word of God to change human lives and to transform the experience of the church.

We must preach because preaching is God’s ordained means for making himself known to us.

We must preach because preaching not only communicates truth about God, it also mediates the very person and power of God.

We must preach because preaching (aside from reading) is the most effective means for transmitting the truths of Holy Scripture.

We must preach because preaching is the fuel for worship. Preaching fans the flames of passion for Jesus.

We must preach because preaching is not simply the fuel for worship, preaching is worship.

We must preach because preaching is the catalyst for church growth, renewal, and revival.

We must preach because preaching is the means by which the glory of God is revealed and imparted to those who listen with faith.

Question 1 (Sola Scriptura): Does the preacher ground everything he says in the Bible? Does he, in other words, begin with the authority and sufficiency of Scripture?

Question 2 (Sola Gratia): Does the preacher freely emphasize that because of sin, a right relationship with God can only be established by God’s grace alone?

Question 3 (Sola Fide): Does the preacher stress that salvation is not achieved by what we can do, rather salvation is received by faith in what Christ has already done?

Question 4 (Sola Christus): Does the preacher underline that Christ is the exclusive mediator between God and man? Does the explainer both affirm and proclaim that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” and that nobody comes to the Father but by Christ?

I just started reading What the Dog Sawby Malcolm Gladwell. Love the way he writes. And I love his philosophy of writing. “Our instinct as humans is to assume that most things are not interesting. But if you want to be a writer, you have to fight that instinct every day.”

I think that is one key to being a preacher or writer. I’ve tried to take this approach to life: everything is interesting. Or to translate it into a preaching philosophy: everything is an illustration. You have to be careful. Obviously, you want to live your life. And your kids are your kids, not little illustrations running around saying cute things! But great preachers and writers see an illustration in everything. Why? Because they are interested in everything. And the driving motivation is a holy curiosity.

Gladwell says: “The trick to finding ideas is to convince yourself that everyone and everything has a story to tell.”

Posted in Preaching ]]>https://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/finding-illustrations-everywhere/feed/0Brenton13 Tips to Avoid Voice Strainhttps://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/13-tips-to-avoid-voice-strain/
https://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/13-tips-to-avoid-voice-strain/#respondSat, 24 Oct 2009 13:50:23 +0000http://preachersandteachers.wordpress.com/?p=346Continue reading →]]>The Resurgence is starting a series of posts on “The Preacher’s Voice.” The first installment was about preventing strain on your voice. Here are some tips:

Rise early and drink warm liquid, such as water with fresh lemon juice.

“The conclusion should not merely recapitulate your sermon—it should apply it. Obviously, you should be applying all along, but you should keep something for the end which will prevail upon your people to take action. “No summons, no sermon.” Preach through the head to the heart (i.e. the will). The goal of the sermon should be to “storm the citadel of the will and capture it for Jesus Christ. What do you want them to do? Employ a variety of methods to do this:

Argument—anticipate objections and refute them.

Admonition— warn of the consequences of disobedience.

Indirect Conviction—arouse moral indignation and then turn it on them (Nathan with David).

Pleading—apply the gentle pressure of God’s love, concern for their well-being, and the needs of others.

Vision—paint a picture of what is possible through obedience to God in this area.”

I have often seen many men spend a great amount of time on preparing and preaching lengthy, dense, expository messages, while giving far less time and energy to the learning of leadership and pastoral nurture. It takes lots of experience and effort to help a body of people make a unified decision, or to regularly raise up new lay leaders, or to motivate and engage your people in evangelism, or to think strategically about the stewardship of your people’s spiritual gifts, or even to discern what they are. It takes lots of experience and effort to know how to help a sufferer without being either too passive or too directive, or to know when to confront a doubter and when to just listen patiently. Pastors in many of our Reformed churches do not seem to be as energized to learn to be great leaders and shepherds, but rather have more of an eye to being great teachers and preachers.